A photograph of Laura Webb was taped to the windows of Salon Meritage, days after the shooting rampage, Oct. 12, 2011. REGISTER FILE PHOTO

On Oct. 12, 2011, my sister Laura was gunned down at the Seal Beach salon where she worked. A man walked in and opened fire as she prepared to style my mother's hair. My mother almost died in the attack. Seven other people died that day, almost all of them people I knew. Many more lives were forever altered.

My pain is still raw, and I know the road toward healing will be very long. But when the Orange County district attorney announced that he would pursue a death sentence for the accused shooter, I knew that our journey would be made even longer.

I never expected to know as much as I do now about the death penalty in California. But I have to. I was shocked to learn that it costs an obscene amount of money – much more than keeping a murderer locked up and behind bars forever. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Office official estimate is that the death penalty costs taxpayers $130 million more per year than life in prison without the possibility of parole. We have spent $4 billion on the death penalty since 1978, but only executed 13 people. More inmates have died of old age and natural causes than by execution.

Part of why it's so expensive is that death-penalty trials take twice as long as those seeking a sentence of prison without parole, and appeals can go on for another 25 years. My family's already had to go to court several times and see the man who shattered my family. There's no end in sight.

Worse yet, if he is sentenced to death he will get special treatment – like the others on death row. He will not be forced to have a roommate. He will get his own cell, a legal team for life, extra time in the exercise yard, visitors seven days a week, and he will get extra security. Death row inmates are treated like the superstars of the prison system. Proposition 34 would make Laura's killer work in prison and pay restitution to the Victims Compensation Fund.

Another aspect of the death penalty haunts me: the possibility that an innocent person could be executed. More than 100 innocent people have been released from death rows across the country after wrongful convictions. After suffering the loss of my beautiful sister, I am not willing to risk putting another family through the pain of losing an innocent family member. My grief cannot erase the fact that, in some cases, it is not clear who is guilty. Our justice system and our government are strong but they are flawed. There is no doubt in my mind that we run a terrible risk with the death penalty.

This is a terrible burden for the families to bear at a time when we are searching for healing and accountability. California's death penalty is broken beyond repair. That's why I am such a strong supporter of Prop. 34.

The death penalty will not bring back Laura or restore my family, and it definitely will not end decades of legal proceedings that are bound to make us suffer even more.

My sister was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. She was funny, loving and loyal. We loved motorcycles, the Raiders, and simple things like watching TV together. I would give anything to be able to talk to her once more, to hear her voice, and hug her and tell her how much I love her.

While we will never stop remembering my sister and the joy she brought to us all, at least Prop. 34 would give us the opportunity to stop thinking about the man that took her from us, knowing that he will be behind bars for the rest of his life.

Nov. 6, in honor of Laura, I will vote yes on Prop. 34, for justice that works for everyone. I hope you will join me.

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